Police operatives from the Special Tactical Squad have arrested three core members of a notorious armed robbery and car-snatching syndicate operating across Kaduna State and the Federal Capital Territory.
The suspects—identified as Ahmed Saidu, Alex Gabriel, and Ahmed Mahudu—were apprehended during coordinated intelligence-led operations conducted between 14 and 19 August 2026.
During interrogation, the suspects confessed to their involvement in a series of violent carjackings and implicated an alleged ringleader, Yakubu Yewa, who is currently held at the Kuje Correctional Centre while standing trial for armed robbery.
Investigators revealed that Yewa allegedly directed the syndicate’s operations from within the prison facility, coordinating both the theft of the vehicles and their subsequent sale across local and international markets.
Police recovered two stolen vehicles during the operation: a red Toyota Corolla and an army-green Volkswagen Golf 3.
Force Public Relations Officer CSP Ani Iniedu stated that the police force remains committed to dismantling criminal networks, protecting citizens, and bringing perpetrators of violent crimes to justice.
Investigation Indicts Correctional Centre
The revelation that an alleged kingpin could actively coordinate a violent car-snatching syndicate from behind bars exposes critical security vulnerabilities within Kuje Correctional Centre and the wider custodial system. That a high-profile detainee awaiting trial for armed robbery could maintain uninterrupted communication channels to direct cross-border criminal operations points directly to compromised internal protocols and systemic corruption among facility staff.
Beyond the immediate threat to public safety posed by the syndicate’s ongoing operations, the incident severely undermines public trust in Nigeria’s penal institutions, transforming a medium-security facility meant for rehabilitation and detention into an operational command center for organized crime.
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